Category Archives: Wooden Pallets

Plastic and Wood Pallets can live together

For years, wood pallets dominated shipping. In fact, over 90% of all shipping is still done on plastic pallets. Even though wood is still controlling the pallet market, plastic pallet use is certainly on the rise. And for some companies, plastic pallets are a more reliable and durable option.

Wood Pallets

Wood Pallet Pile

Since before World War II, wood pallets have dominated the material handling market.

Wood pallets have been in use for longer than plastic pallets and are more efficient for some companies. Wood pallets are cheap and strong, which allows them to carry heavier products.

Companies who don’t ship as frequently benefit more from using wood pallets versus plastic pallets, just from a price standpoint. Another benefit of wood is that it’s a natural resource, making it biodegradable and easy to recycle.

Wood pallets have their disadvantages, however. The main ones are that they can become overrun with bacteria and are difficult to clean. Another important factor to discuss when comparing wood pallets versus plastic pallets is how they are made.

How Wood Pallets & Plastic Pallets Are Made

Wood block pallets have multiple pieces that need to be screwed or nailed together while plastic is constructed in one solid piece. These create advantages and disadvantages for both. This allows wood pallets to be repaired easier, but creates unsafe surfaces that can have splinters or nails sticking out which can harm workers and disrupt flow of materials.

A plastic pallet on the other hand won’t break as easily due to its design and construction, resulting in a much longer life expectancy. However, once a plastic pallet is damaged, it’s difficult to repair. Along with that the surface does not have nails or splinters, making it a much safer for handlers.

Below is a full list of advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages Of Wood Pallets

* Cheap
* Handles heavy shipments
* Easy to repair
* Recyclable and biodegradable
* The product will not shift as much

Disadvantages Of Wood Pallets

* Difficult to clean
* Can host bacteria
* Not always safe to handle
* Not as durable as plastic

Damaged Wood Pallet

Plastic Pallets

A nestable, single piece Plastic Pallet

Even though most shippers use wood pallets versus plastic pallets, plastic adoption is on the rise. This is especially true for companies who ship in higher quantities and often due to how long it lasts. Along with that, plastic pallets offer advantages to industries where sanitation is key, like fresh and frozen foods, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals to name a few.

It’s also becoming more and more apparent that even though the upfront cost of plastic pallets might be more than wood pallets, the durability of plastic provides a better ROI!

Understanding Industrial Needs

While plastic is ideal for industries where the hygiene of products is key, it isn’t practical for some others. Wood pallets versus plastic pallets are more useful and cost efficient in industries like manufacturing because they are cheap and able to handle heavier shipments compared to plastic. Along with that, these industries don’t face the challenges of following strict regulations on product sanitation.

Plastic Pallet Disadvantages

Weighing the two

There are pros and cons to using both pallets. Without identifying your needs prior to purchase, there is no clear cut option. Deciding on wood or plastic is going to come down to factors regarding what industry the company is in, how much they’re shipping, where they’re shipping, and the costs.

As a result, plastic pallets and wood pallets continue to thrive alongside each other in the marketplace.

Share your comments!

Do you think there are other advantages to using wood pallets over plastic or vice versa? Please share!

The Impossible Answer

A Plastic Pallet’s Lifespan? It depends!

Pallet lifespan depends on the users application and handling practices:

It’s also important to make sure the pallet being used is appropriate for the application.

Often times, the cheapest pallet can become the most expensive, hiding the true expense of using a pallet that is not up to the task. After all, you must you consider product damage/loss due to overloading or improper use.

Reality Check

Neither answer is really helpful in the real world of material handling.

However, we do know that when the right pallet is selected for an application and it’s handled appropriately, it will outlast a wood pallet many times over.

At One Way Solutions, we’ve seen pallets in active use that were produced more than a decade ago.

The Bottom Line Pro Tip

Treat your plastic pallets well and they will return the favor- they’ll last longer and you’ll save money by drastically reducing the frequency of pallet replacement.

What do you think?

We value your option and pallet expertise!

How long have your pallets lasted?

What handling tricks have increased pallet lifespan?

Please leave your comments below and contact us for assistance on finding the perfect plastic pallet for the right price.

What’s our Cheapest Plastic Pallet?

To be honest, that’s a tough question. But I understand why you’re asking!

But first, a bit of pallet advice:

The cheapest plastic pallet isn’t necessarily the best plastic pallet for your application!

Considering that approximately 100 people per year die from forklift/pallet injuries, making sure that the pallet we sell is sufficient for it’s application is something we take seriously.

In the past 15 years, there have been dozens of customers that have not taken our pallet advice, only to regret it later. Fortunately, these cases resulted in an exchange for a more durable pallet and were not the result of an injury.

Just Answer The Question!

If we put aside the issue of application and look purely at price, we have several plastic pallets that match the ‘up front’ pricing of wood pallets. I say ‘up front’ because plastic pallets also have less tangible cost savings.

What are the hidden plastic pallet savings?

freight cost savings

lower frequency of replacement

potentially lower insurance premiums

less operations down time due to injury (due to nails and splinters commonly caused by wood pallets)

less product damage (again, no nails / splinters)

reduced risk of product and contamination (vital for food and pharmaceuticals)

Lower Freight Costs

Because plastic pallets often weigh less than wood pallets, it costs less money to ship them to your warehouse and to your customers.

Lower Frequency Of Replacement

Plastic pallet durability is excellent, often outlasting wood pallets. The longer plastic pallet lifespan means you will replace them less frequently- and buying less often saves you money!

OK! But what are your cheapest plastic pallets?

All of our pallets are priced competitively, but I’d like to mention one pallet that stands out in our pallet catalog.

Meet the NL7, our cheapest plastic pallet!

Our least expensive pallet is the # PP-O-40-N7 40×48 Nestable Open Deck Light Duty Plastic Pallet. We offer higher quantities of the NL7 for less $8 per unit, and it weighs less than 13 lbs.

One Way Solutions designed the NL7 plastic pallet to have the lowest possible weight with a high load capacity sufficient for many applications and widespread use. It’s weight to capacity ratio is among the highest in our product offering.

Right Pallet, Right Price, Right Time, Right Way!

At One Way Solutions, we strive to find cost savings at every opportunity so that we can pass these savings onto our customers. Combined with unparalleled service, we continue to build repeat business as loyal customers return for their plastic pallet needs.

Our very first customer in 2003 is still a current customer today.

We Can Help!

Please contact us for pricing or info on any of our plastic pallets, including our cheapest one.

On June 18, NPR’s Planet Money did a story on CHEP and their “better blue pallets” that are reinventing the pallet industry.

They wondered whether anyone could build a better pallet. Like the mousetrap and the paperclip, it seemed that the design was flawless and could not improve anymore.

They briefly mentioned plastic pallets at the end of the podcast, saying that a company that creates plastic pallets with RFID tracking went bankrupt. As if one company represented the industry as a whole.

Not only that, but this was later corrected as the company was sold to investors after it went into bankruptcy protection and is currently still in business.

Whatever innovative designs appear to change the pallet industry, the design does not dictate material used to build it. Don’t let the pitchforks, torches, and crazy mob make you think otherwise. Continue reading →